Born knowing?

Ever since the little Crown Prince had suffered his arrow wound, he had been so well behaved that the Qi Emperor's heart ached beyond measure.

Throwing tantrums was good. It meant his blood and vitality were nearly replenished.

Only healthy children had the strength to throw tantrums.

"All right, all right. Father won't ask anymore, and I won't laugh at you either. Then tell me, what should Father know?"

Anyone else who heard those words would probably have been scared to death.

Like a newborn calf unafraid of tigers, the little Crown Prince crawled out from under the covers and excitedly gave him an example:

"When I've done something really, really big! When I deserve praise!"

"For example?"

The little Crown Prince's map of Yan had finally unrolled to reveal the dagger.

"I want to study with Big Brother! The same teacher, the same classroom, learning together!"

That was as mismatched as donkey lips on a horse's mouth, bearing no relation whatsoever to his earlier demand for praise, but the Qi Emperor was exceedingly patient.

"But your big brother began his lessons before you did. You aren't as accomplished as he is yet. What will you do if you go there and can't understand anything or recognize a single character?"

The little Crown Prince proudly raised his chin. "Let's bet!"

A sharp light flashed in the Qi Emperor's eyes. Thinking back carefully, he had used the three primers as bedtime reading ever since the Crown Prince was born, and they had worked every time.

He had read them countless times over those three years.

Starting this year, he had not only read to the little Crown Prince to lull him to sleep, but explained their meanings as well. Yet how could a three-year-old remember all of it?

The Thousand Character Classic alone should have been his limit.

Then he recalled the half-line from the Analects that Grand Commandant Yin had used to test him in the Hall of Bright Virtue, and suddenly he no longer dared to be certain.

Never forgetting anything heard or seen was a gift. Though astonishing, a few such people could still be found in the world.

But if, with that ability, he had merely listened casually and then linked the contents of all three books to their written texts, sorted out the meanings of every character and sentence, and thoroughly mastered all three primers...

To reach such a level, it would hardly be an exaggeration to call him unprecedented, born knowing.

The Qi Emperor held out his little finger and hooked it around his son's.

"It's a bet. If you pass the Grand Tutor's test tomorrow, I'll agree to whatever you want."

The next day, as dawn began to break, Qi Yuanzuo crawled out of bed. The Qi Emperor had risen even earlier and was already gone.

Qi Yuanzuo dressed with his eyes half-open.

As he was putting on his shoes, a familiar pair of hands respectfully presented them, their owner kneeling at his feet to slip them on for him.

Bolao.

Qi Yuanzuo's drowsiness vanished at once.

After kneeling for so long, he could still kneel again with only one night's rest. Those knees must have been forged from iron. Sooner or later, he would wear the floor tiles of the Hall of Inherited Blessing smooth.

During breakfast, the Fat Eunuch came to report, "Your Highness, the Eldest Prince is here. He says he would like to go to the Southern Academy with you."

The academy was in the southern part of the palace, so some people habitually called it the Southern Academy.

At that, Qi Yuanzuo immediately ran out to greet him.

"Big Brother!"

Seeing how fast he rushed over, the Eldest Prince opened his arms to catch him, but the little Crown Prince braked with his feet and came to a steady stop.

"Good morning, Big Brother!"

Qi Yuanzuo felt that the Eldest Prince was different from the night before-more alone, but also more resolute.

He wondered whether the Eldest Prince had quarreled with Consort Xian over him.

Consort Xian had been demoted yesterday, yet the Eldest Prince could still set that aside and come to take him to school. That proved he held some weight in the Eldest Prince's heart.

Since the Eldest Prince had no intention of tearing away all pretense of civility, he was happy enough to get along with him.

The Eldest Prince was also assessing the little Crown Prince's condition. He was lively as a dragon and a tiger, far more pleasing to the eye than his wilted state yesterday.

He adjusted the Blood-Jade Bead Bracelet tied at his waist, which had already become the little Crown Prince's identifying accessory.

"It's getting late. I've had a sedan chair brought over. Let's go together."

Qi Yuanzuo naturally agreed.

He specifically chose Jiang Liang and Bolao to accompany him, leaving the Fat Eunuch and Simiao behind.

The latter two were uneasy, but the little Crown Prince insisted on having his way.

Inside the sedan chair, Qi Yuanzuo kept feeling that it was tilted. His body could find no firm purchase, and it was terribly uncomfortable.

"I want a pony. I don't want to ride in a sedan chair."

The Eldest Prince said, "You're dreaming in broad daylight. Father won't let you near a horse until you're old enough to begin martial training."

"Then I'll raise an ox. Raising an ox is the same as raising a horse."

The Eldest Prince was a devoted horse lover and retorted, "How could an ox compare to a horse?"

The little Crown Prince met him head-on with crooked logic. "Why can't an ox compare to a horse? It's gentle, strong, and it even has horns! Once it grows up, it can carry me to school every day. How wonderful!"

That would definitely turn heads!

The Eldest Prince could not understand his tastes, so he could only respect them. "All I know is that beef tastes very good."

The little Crown Prince's mouth began watering faster. "Then let's raise one!"

"Father won't agree."

The little Crown Prince said, "How will we know unless we try?"

After a jolting ride, they arrived to find the Grand Tutor already waiting outside the academy. There was someone else beside him, someone Qi Yuanzuo had met once before.

Shi Yu.

Qi Yuanzuo asked, "Am I late?"

Zhang Yao stepped forward and bowed. "You are not late, Your Highness. I deliberately waited here to welcome you."

Zhang Yao did not know the little Crown Prince's temperament. Rumor had it that the Qi Emperor cherished him like a precious jewel. Fearing that he might be spoiled and willful, Zhang Yao had deliberately greeted him with the formal courtesy of a subject.

Qi Yuanzuo felt rather embarrassed. "Grand Tutor, you needn't wait especially for me. You are my teacher. I should observe a student's courtesies toward you."

Zhang Yao repeatedly protested that he dared not accept such honors, but inwardly relaxed. It seemed the boy was teachable.

The Eldest Prince and the Crown Prince were at different stages in their studies, and his classroom was next door.

His teacher was the Grand Herald, one of the Nine Ministers, who oversaw Great Qi's ceremonial affairs and state banquets.

The Qi Emperor paid little attention to the Eldest Prince's studies, but did not deliberately suppress him either.

Anyone who had risen to become one of the Nine Ministers was certainly qualified to teach a prince the Four Books and Five Classics.

The Eldest Prince had been glaring at Shi Yu ever since he spotted him. Another rebel!

His voice was cold and hostile. "Heir of the Prince of Annam, why are you here at the Southern Academy?"

Shi Yu explained innocently, "Her Majesty the Empress Dowager sent me here."

"The Empress Dowager sent word to His Majesty. Since His Majesty sent no one to stop me, I presume he tacitly approved."

"The Empress Dowager said my learning was inadequate, so she specifically sent me here to study alongside the Crown Prince and improve."

Study alongside the Crown Prince? Teach him how to rebel?

The Empress Dowager favored the Eldest Prince. He knew she was no good, but remembering the affection born of growing up in her care, he could not bring himself to say more.

"You two, protect His Highness the Crown Prince."

Jiang Liang and Bolao hurriedly agreed.

Qi Yuanzuo waved to the Eldest Prince. "Big Brother, see you in a little while!"

The Eldest Prince smiled. "All right. See you in a little while."

Each lesson lasted two hours. Classes began at seven in the morning, with a forty-five-minute break between them, and school ended at a quarter to one.

The Qi Emperor had told Zhang Yao that the little Crown Prince possessed intelligence far beyond the ordinary.

Thus, Zhang Yao began by testing his recitation of the Thousand Character Classic.

The little Crown Prince was not the least bit intimidated, reciting it clearly and fluently.

He completed the entire text without a single pause or mistake.

Zhang Yao deliberately interrupted him midway, but still failed to stump him. Once the Crown Prince finished, he tentatively selected two lines and asked their meanings. The little Crown Prince answered without hesitation.

Zhang Yao then picked out individual characters for the little Crown Prince to identify. Some children could recite a text without truly recognizing the characters, simply repeating what they had heard so often.

This still failed to stump the little Crown Prince.

Whatever character Zhang Yao pointed to in the Thousand Character Classic, the little Crown Prince could pronounce it correctly.

Zhang Yao's initial satisfaction turned to delight, then surprise.

By the end of the examination, he was stunned.

The Crown Prince truly recognized and had mastered every character in the Thousand Character Classic!

A bold idea arose in Zhang Yao's mind.

He asked the little Crown Prince to recite the Hundred Family Surnames.

Once he finished the Hundred Family Surnames, Zhang Yao asked him to recite the Three Character Classic.

Zhang Yao's questions progressed from simple to probing.

Some passages involved little stories about ancient sages, yet the Crown Prince still recounted them without a single error!

When he finished, he even remembered to add, "Father told me about that."

Only when Zhang Yao lifted his head from the three primers did he realize that his neck had grown stiff with fatigue.

Teacher and pupil had already spent two hours exchanging questions and answers!

The little Crown Prince's voice had grown hoarse, yet he still insisted on standing straight, respectfully waiting for his teacher's assessment.

The feelings in Zhang Yao's heart could no longer be described as mere astonishment.

Born knowing?

Zhang Yao looked at the little Crown Prince with both joy and worry.

He rejoiced that an intelligent heir was a blessing for Great Qi, and that Heaven had granted him the good fortune to encounter such unpolished jade!

He worried that brilliance carried to its utmost might bring harm, and feared even more that his own limited learning might lead his pupil astray!

What rested on his shoulders was no longer one person's success or failure, but the future fortunes of Great Qi!

Could he truly shoulder the responsibility of teaching the heir to the throne?

Zhang Yao swallowed and drew a deep breath.

"Your Highness, please write a character for me to see."

The little Crown Prince ground the ink and dipped his brush, his movements flowing like drifting clouds and running water, a delight to behold. Zhang Yao's eyes shone, and anticipation rose despite himself.

What strength and character would emerge in the handwriting of such an intelligent, gifted Crown Prince?

Then Zhang Yao saw the ugliest character he had ever encountered in his life!

It looked like chicken scratches and a dog's crawl. Paste it on a door, and even ghosts would think it a charm meant to ward them off!

Zhang Yao bristled and glared at the sight, but one look at the little Crown Prince's arm, which was not even as long as the brush, extinguished his anger.

"Very well. In that case, I shall begin by teaching Your Highness how to hold a brush and write."

The little Crown Prince looked at him innocently. "Grand Tutor, can I study in the same room as Big Brother?"

Zhang Yao hesitated for only a moment before deciding. Such an outstanding pupil deserved to have his request granted, if only as a reward!

This lesson had already lasted two hours.

"Your Highness, rest for a moment. Your progress is on par with the Eldest Prince's, so studying together would be perfectly reasonable. May I discuss it with His Majesty before making a decision?"

The little Crown Prince naturally nodded again and again.

Zhang Yao could hardly wait to see His Majesty, but suddenly remembered that there was another person in the classroom: Shi Yu.

His old face burned as he realized he had forgotten all about him. Then again, the emperor had appointed him specifically to serve as the Crown Prince's Grand Tutor.

He coughed. "Forgive my discourtesy. Please wait here, young heir."

Shi Yu had long since been shocked into numbness and was very understanding.

"Please go ahead, Grand Tutor Zhang."

The moment the little Crown Prince was dismissed, he darted out of the classroom, heading straight for the privy.

Jiang Liang was dazed. Could such a child prodigy truly exist? Impossible! Even with the modern internet at her fingertips, she had never seen anyone so outrageously gifted!

True, Gan Luo had become a minister at twelve, but such figures appeared only once in a thousand years. Could she really have happened upon one?

There was definitely something wrong with this little Crown Prince!

Looking again at her favorability score, which was still a big fat zero, Jiang Liang decided to make a risky move and test him...